Hair Transplant Overseas

What Is Hair Transplant?

Hair transplant is a surgical technique in which new hair follicles are transplanted from a hair-loss resistant area to a balding or hair thinning area. It is a permanent replacement treatment to restore the hair in the balding area. Thus, it is a permanent natural looking solution for patients suffering from balding conditions or receding hairlines.

Hair transplantation can also be used for other body parts such as to restore eyelashes, eyebrows, beard hair, chest hair, and pubic hair and to treat scars caused by any accident or surgery.

What is the time requirement?

A single session of between 1500 to 3000 grafts usually takes a full day. The patient might not have to stay overnight at the hospital.

The patient has to stay abroad for about 3 days during each session of the treatment. The patient can fly back after the session, however the procedure may require a single session or several sessions as directed by the surgeon.

How Inexpensive Is Hair Transplant Overseas?

The price of a hair transplant depends on a number of factors:

• The amount of hair follicles to be transplanted
• The recipient site or the area where the hair is to be transplanted (beard, eyebrows, head etc.)
• The number of sessions required for the transplant (single or multiple session)

How is hair transplant performed?

Pre procedure: Initially, before the procedure starts, the patient has to consult a surgeon. The surgeon analyses the patient’s scalp and discusses their preferences and expectations. The surgeon then establishes an appropriate donor site from where the hair will be taken. The procedure may require a single session or multiple sessions depending on the conditions.

The procedure: The patient’s scalp is first cleaned and treated with an antibacterial agent prior to the donor scalp being harvested. The donor site is then injected with local anaesthesia to numb the area before the extraction. The procedure of a hair transplant is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT).

It can be done in two ways- Strip Harvesting and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).In Strip harvesting the donor tissue is extracted in one single strip. The strip is placed in a physiological solution. Then a single layer of hair follicular units is made by the harvested strips, which is finally implanted in the recipient area.

In Follicular Unit Extraction, individual follicular units containing 1 to 4 hair strands are removed at a time. The surgeon then immediately punctures the site for receiving grafts and places them in a predetermined pattern, angle and density to give a realistic hair pattern.

After the completion of the procedure, the area is surgically dressed which allows seepage of blood and tissue fluid. It needs to be kept in place for 1-2 days as required. The procedure of hair transplant generally takes around 4 to 12 hours. It may take as long as 4 to 6 months for the hair to come through at the recipient site. Patient may have to wait for a year to see the full effects of the transplant.

Post procedure care:

• The vulnerable recipient site must be protected from the sun.
• The patient needs to shampoo the hair with the recommended shampoo to avoid the formation of scabs around the hair shaft.
• During the first ten days of transplant the patient may experience hair shedding or “shock loss” which is a common side effect. However, the patient’s hair will grow normally and continue to thicken through the next 4 to 9 months.

Important Things To Know About Hair Transplant

Recommended For:

• Male pattern baldness
• Hair loss (Alopecia)
• Receding hairlines
• Trauma to the hair

Not Recommended For:

• Diffuse pattern female balding
• Spot baldness (Alopecia areata)
• Insufficient hair at donor site

Potential Risks:

• There might be a hair transplant failure, that is, the hair at the recipient site doesn’t grow after the completion of the procedure.
• The patient may experience little bleeding after the operation due to some nick and cuts while extraction. It can be controlled by pressing a gauze piece.
• Strip harvesting might leave behind a linear scar. However, it gets covered up with growing hair after a few months.
• Swelling of areas such as the scalp and forehead.
• The patient may get Infection which can be treated with antibiotics.
• The patient may experience itching due to the formation of scabs.
• Tenderness on the scalp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do hair transplants work?

Hair transplants have had a high rate of success in the past few years. However, proper care needs to be taken after the transplant to ensure best results. According to statistics hair transplants have a success rate of 95%.

How long do hair transplants last?

It is a permanent natural looking solution for hair loss. However, proper care is necessary for best results.

Is the hair transplant painful?

The procedure is carried out after injecting a local anaesthesia to the area. So the patient doesn’t experience any pain during the procedure. Swelling of the scalp and forehead, and itching for a few days might occur as a side effect of the procedure but it can be treated with medicine and painkiller. Patients who undergo multiple sessions are likely to experience more discomfort.

Do hair transplants grow?

Hair transplants are natural hair which continue to grow naturally after the implant procedure is completed and the implant is completely assimilated. Patients might have to wait for about a year to see the full results. Once, it grows it is indistinguishable from the natural hair.

Do hair transplants look real?

Hair transplants are hair that are indistinguishable from the natural hair once they grow. However, it depends largely on the skill and technique of the surgeon. So, it is best for the patient to discuss about their preferences and expectations with the surgeon during the consultation period.

Source: medhalt